book blog · books · reading · romance · update · WWW Wednesday

WWW Wednesday [11.1.17]

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam at Taking On A World Of Words, where you have to answer these questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?


What are you currently reading?

I am still making my way through Him.
I am loving Maverick so far, and I decided to pick up Ann Hood’s memoir which is giving me major nostalgic feelings. Also, just realized all my books are one-word titles lol.


What did you recently finish reading?

 29505399
Review

I flew through this novella and really enjoyed it!


What do you think you’ll read next?

36107506

I found Beautiful Mistake at my library and immediately grabbed it. I have wanted to read this ever since it came out. This will be my first Vi Keeland book and I’m excited. 😀

 

That’s it for me!

What are you guys reading??

 

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book blog · books · monthly wrap-up · reading · romance · wrap-up

October Wrap-up

It’s been a while since I’ve done a wrap-up but I have actually started to get more reading done so I thought I would jump back into them. So here we go…

I managed to read 4 books this month, which is twice the amount I read the previous two months. I’ve also read some pretty fantastic books that are definitely going on my list of favorites for this year.


Let’s get into the books!

34346381

5 stars

 

28446375

5 stars

 

Unknown

5 stars

 

29505399Review

4.5 stars

 

As you can see, I had a wonderful reading month.

How was your October??

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book blog · book review · books · reading · romance

Review: One Snowy Night by Jill Shalvis

One Snowy Night (Heartbreaker Bay #2.5)
by Jill Shalvis
Publication Date: November 8, 2016
Source: Library E-Book

29505399New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Heartbreaker Bay with a fun and festive holiday novella!

It’s Christmas Eve and Rory Andrews is desperate to get home to the family she hasn’t seen in years. Problem is, her only ride to Lake Tahoe comes in the form of the annoyingly handsome Max Stranton, and his big, goofy, lovable dog Carl.

Hours stuck in a truck with the dead sexy Max sounds like a fate worse than death (not), but Rory’s out of options. She’s had a crush on Max since high school and she knows he’s attracted to her, too. But they have history… and Max is the only one who knows why it went south.

They’ve done a good job of ignoring their chemistry so far, but a long road trip in a massive blizzard might be just what they need to face their past… and one steamy, snowy night is all it takes to bring Max and Rory together at last.

(A standalone Heartbreaker Bay novella)

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We are back in the world of The Heartbreaker Bay series, taking a look at another lovable pair who find their happily-ever-after. Plus, it takes place on Christmas Eve so this story is even more romantic; at least in my eyes since Christmas time is my favorite time of the year.

Rory Andrews is the snarky, strong-minded employee of Willa, whose story takes place in The Problem with Mistletoe and who owns the South Bark Mutt Shop located in the courtyard of the Pacific Pier Building. Rory has not had the easiest life and after a horrible high school experience, she decides to drop out, leave town after her junior year, and go to San Francisco to start her life over. Now, at 23, Rory has her GED and has been working for Willa, who took her under her wing, for the last three years at her pet shop. Rory has made something of her life but she still feels regrets towards how she has left things with her family back in Lake Tahoe. Rory wants to make amends with them since she left home and never looked back at 17, so she promises that this time she will be home for Christmas. Rory just has a few problems; one, she does not have a ride up to Lake Tahoe and two, she is not particularly in the holiday spirit.

Rory’s attitude towards this whole trip home takes another plunge when she finds out who has offered to drive her up to Lake Tahoe (with a little encouragement from Willa, of course). Enter Max Stranton, who is part of Archer Hunt’s investigation team and who also has a history with Rory. Max and Rory actually went to high school together. Add to that, Rory had a crush on Max but that time of her life wasn’t the greatest so you can only imagine how things unfolded. Fast forward to now, and the two have been essentially dancing around each other with Rory trying very hard to ignore the attraction that is quite obviously between them. Add in a long car ride on the night of Christmas Eve with an impending snowstorm and you know this is going to be very interesting.

“Fate or Karma or whatever was in charge of such things was a cruel master, having her first crush of all people, the one guy on the entire planet who made her feel like that young, neglected, bullied, unwanted teen all over again, be the only smart ride home tonight.”

I have read this entire series completely out of order, which is totally fine, so I actually read The Trouble with Mistletoe before this. Now that might make no sense since this novella comes after that book which would mean that I am in fact reading it in order but my introduction to this series was the third book, Accidentally on Purpose, so I have been out of order in some aspect. Anyway, I got a glimpse of Rory and Max in The Trouble with Mistletoe and I was intrigued by their very first interaction with another that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on their story.

I was not disappointed in the least. With Rory trying to keep her distance, throwing her snark at Max whenever she got the chance and Max giving it right back while trying to figure out why Rory has such a problem with him, I was highly entertained. Add in the palpable attraction between the two of them and this novella just flew by. While the bickering was so much fun to read and definitely kept the novella light and fun,  there were also some more emotional moments. You learn more about Rory and Max’s history when they were in high school along with the struggles Rory faced when she first got to San Francisco that lead her to Willa and the life she has now. The balance of these two elements is what allowed me to really get invested into Max and Rory’s story even though this is only a novella.

One Snowy Day has only made my love for this series that much stronger. It was a perfect addition to the series and gave me all the feels especially with it taking place on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day. I honestly can’t get enough!

Go read this series!!

4.5 stars

book blog · book review · books · reading · romance

Review: Accidentally on Purpose by Jill Shalvis

Accidentally on Purpose (Heartbreaker Bay #3)
Author: Jill Shalvis
Publication Date: January 24th, 2017
Source: Mass Market Paperback

30166217There’s no such thing as a little in love…

Elle Wheaten’s priorities: friends, career, and kick-ass shoes. Then there’s the muscular wall of stubbornness that’s security expert Archer Hunt—who comes before everything else. No point in telling Mr. “Feels-Free Zone” that, though. Elle will just see other men until she gets over Archer . . . which should only take a lifetime . . .

There’s no such thing as a little in lust…

Archer’s wanted the best for Elle ever since he sacrificed his law-enforcement career to save her. But now that she’s earned happiness and success, Archer just wants Elle 24/7. Their chemistry could start the next San Francisco Earthquake, and Archer doesn’t want to be responsible for the damage. The alternative? Watch her go out with guys who aren’t him . . .

There is such a thing as…

As far as Archer’s concerned, nobody is good enough for Elle. But when he sets out to prove it by sabotaging her dates, she gets mad—and things get hot as hell. Now Archer has a new mission: prove to Elle that her perfect man has been here all along…

 
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PSA: The Heartbreaker Bay series is one of my favorite series of the year and Jill Shalvis is a new favorite author of mine so don’t be surprised if you see more reviews on this blog in the very near future.

You know those books, the ones you finish reading that are SO good that you just want to automatically turn back to the beginning and read it all over again? Yeah, this is one of those books for me. I will go as far to say that this book has made it onto my all-time favorite books list. FYI: My ability to articulate how much I love this book might be a bit difficult but just know that I. LOVE. THIS. BOOK.

Elle Wheaton is a badass, plain and simple. She is the building manager of the Pacific Pier Building which is the perfect job for her because one, she loves to be in control of everything and two, she loves to be able to boss others around. The only person she is not able to boss around is Archer Hunt, the owner of Hunt Investigations on the second floor of the building which acts as the building’s security. To say that these two have a history is an understatement. Also, the synopsis is not lying when it says that their chemistry could start the next San Francisco Earthquake because that is 100% true.

Elle and Archer’s history begins way before they both began working in the Pacific Pier Building. Their first meeting and the events surrounding it is very significant and holds a lot of weight towards how their relationship is like in the present. The fact that they have this history before we see Elle as the put-together, kickass manager is one of my favorite aspects of this book because it just magnifies the feelings they have for one another so much more.

His hand caught her, long fingers wrapping around her elbow and causing all sorts of unwelcome sensations as he pulled her back around.
“What?” she asked.
“Waiting for my apology.”
“Sure,” she said agreeably. “When hell freezes over.” She lifted her chin, grateful for her four-inch heels so that she could almost, kind of, not quite look him in the eyes.
“I’m in charge of this building, Archer, which means I’m in charge of everything that happens in it. I’m also in charge of everyone who works for this building.”
He cocked his head, looking amused again.
“You want to be the boss of me, Elle?” he asked softly.
“I am the boss of you.”

Pushing each other’s buttons is an art and those around Elle and Archer would have to be blind not to see the serious sparks that come about when they come up against one another. I’m not surprised that Elle butts head with Archer though because he is a true alpha; commands attention, intimidating, always in control, and gorgeous as f***. The build-up to when these two finally kissed was so intense, I seriously thought my book was going to burst into flames when it happened.

In addition to Elle and Archer’s story, I was also introduced to the adorable cast of characters that I have deemed the Heartbreaker Bay gang. Elle and Archer are surrounded by the best batch of friends they could ever ask for and as a reader, you fall in love with them almost instantly. This gang of secondary characters is such an essential part of these novels. They all have their unique personalities and add such a wonderful element to the book that without them, Accidentally on Purpose would be an entirely different book.

This book has so much more to it in addition to the explosive, hotter-than-hell romance and band of wonderful friends. There are laughs, some action, and a ton of heart-squeezing, all-the-feels moments. Honestly, I could not recommend this book more.

You MUST read it!!

5 stars

 

 

book blog · book haul · books · reading · romance · stacking the shelves

Stacking the Shelves [2]

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews where book lovers share what books they got throughout the week!

E-Books

I was able to grab quite a few e-books this week. I actually pre-ordered Breaking Grace and forgot about it until it showed up on my Kindle lol. The Dark Ones was free on Amazon (it still is as of today). Thanks to Lauren Blakely’s newsletter, I found out that Well Hung was only .99 cents! I also got Man Candy for free because Lauren Blakely included it as a freebie in her newsletter. I got King the same way from another author’s newsletter.

Physical Books

I was able to pick up these three books that were going to be added to the book sale at my job for free. I absolutely LOVE The Lizzie Bennet Diaries on YouTube so to have the book just adds to my love for it. Also, I have read the first book in J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series so I was happy to add two more books to my collection.

Those are the books I added to my shelves this week.

What books did you guys add??

 

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book blog · books · reading · romance · waiting on wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday [1]

This is a meme hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine where every Wednesday bloggers showcase a book that they are eagerly waiting for!


Cowboy Up (Coming Home #3)
by Harper Sloan
Release Date: December 19, 2017
36100636As the eldest Davis, Clayton has always tried to lead by example. He takes his job as head of the family businesses seriously, making sure the farm and auto shop are running smoothly—along with keeping an eye on his brother and sister. For him, there’s a time and place to let go of the control he holds with an iron grip. And with the way he grew up, coupled with the disastrous end of his last relationship, he’s just fine with his quiet, solitary life.

Most of the time.

What he hadn’t counted on was cute, quirky, shy bookstore owner, Caroline Michaels. She’s the proverbial woman next door—well, the next town over, that is. Caroline hasn’t lived an easy life, but after escaping an abusive ex, she’s finally living it for herself. The last thing she ever expected was a one-night stand with Clay Davis, a night she can’t stop thinking about.

So when she falls on hard times and Clay comes out of nowhere to her rescue, she realizes just how impossible it’ll be to stay away from him. Now all she has to do is convince him to live a little…

Will Clay be able to give up the reins and finally settle down? And, more importantly, will Caroline muster enough courage to lasso him up?


I can’t WAIT to get my hands on Clayton’s story ever since I started reading this series. There is just something about him… I can’t put my finger on it. All I know is that I’m intrigued. Of course, now that I know that he falls in love with a bookstore owner, I am already convinced I will love this and want it even more than I did before. But first, I must read the second book…

 

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book blog · books · reading · romance · update · WWW Wednesday

WWW Wednesday [10.25.17]

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam at Taking On A World Of Words, where you have to answer these questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?


What are you currently reading?   

I just got into Him by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy and I am liking it so far.
I also finally got One Snowy Night by Jill Shalvis after being on hold for it for what seemed like forever. So excited to delve back into Heartbreaker Bay! 😁

What did you recently finish reading?

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I just finished Roomies by Christina Lauren and ABSOLUTELY loved it!
Look out for a review soon!

What do you think you’ll read next?

I have SO MANY BOOKS that I want to read next so these are my top three.
I also have the book I need to read for my romance book club next week so I will probably squeeze that in too with whichever one of these I decide on.

 

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book blog · book haul · books · reading · romance · stackingtheshelves

Stacking the Shelves [1]

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews where book lovers share what books they got throughout the week!

I am so excited to do my first ever Stacking the Shelves so let’s get started because I got a lot of books this week!

E-ARC’s

I still can’t believe that I got approved for both of these books on Netgalley. I have already started Roomies and I am loving it so far and can’t wait to get to The Wedding Date.

E-Books


I couldn’t pass up some of these e-books up this week. They were either 99 cents or completely free! I can’t wait to read Maverick but I’m glad to add each of these to my collection.

Physical Books

These are the books that I got when I went to a book swap with my friends at Trident Booksellers & Cafe, which is one of my favorite independent bookstores in Boston. My most exciting find from the swap is an ARC of Krysten Ritter’s new book.

This is what happens when I spend my Saturday night in the used book section of another one of my favorite independent bookstores in Boston, Brookline Booksmith, with a good friend. I still CANNOT BELIEVE that I found Dating You/Hating You and all the other books I bought.

Those are all the books I got this week. Probably the last big haul of the year but don’t quote me on that lol.

What books did you guys get this week?

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book blog · books · reveal · romance · Uncategorized

Official Trailer Reveal: Afterburn Aftershock Movie

Afterburn Aftershock Movie Trailer Premier!

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Watch the official trailer:

Starring, Tyler Johnson and Caitlin Leahy, businesswoman Gia Rossi is determined to be successful in her new job, but when her ex-lover Jax Rutledge waltzes back into her life, their passionate connection ignites not only in the boardroom, but the bedroom.

Coming November 3rd, only on Passionflix.com

Subscribe today for only $5.99 per month. Cancel anytime.
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You know you wanna watch…

 

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blog tour · book blog · book review · books · excerpt · promo · reading · release blast · romance

Blog Tour + Review: Chasing Christmas Eve by Jill Shalvis

ChasingChristmasEve mm cCHASING CHRISTMAS EVE
Heartbreaker Bay #4
Jill Shalvis

Meet cute…

Run for the hills—temporarily. That’s Colbie Albright’s plan when she flees New York for San Francisco. Wrangling her crazy family by day and writing a bestselling YA fantasy series by night has taken its toll. In short, Colbie’s so over it that she’s under it. She’s also under the waters of a historic San Francisco fountain within an hour of arrival. Fortunately, the guy who fishes Colbie out has her looking forward to Christmas among strangers. But she’s pretty sure Spencer Baldwin won’t be a stranger for long.

Make merry…

Spence’s commitment to hiding from the Ghosts of Relationships Past means he doesn’t have to worry about the powerful—okay, crazy hot—chemistry he’s got with Colbie. Just because she can laugh at anything, especially herself… just because she’s gorgeous and a great listener…just because she “gets” Spence immediately doesn’t mean he won’t be able to let Colbie go. Does it?

…and hope for a miracle.

Now the clock’s ticking for Colbie and Spence: Two weeks to cut loose. Two weeks to fall hard. Two weeks to figure out how to make this Christmas last a lifetime.

Add to Goodreads


BUY LINKS for CHASING CHRISTMAS EVE:
Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | iBooks | GooglePlay


ABOUT JILL SHALVIS

Shalvis_author photo

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website,www.jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

Connect with Jill
Website: http://jillshalvis.com/
Facebook: @JillShalvis
Twitter: @JillShalvis
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillshalvis/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jillshalvis/
Tumblr: http://jillshalvis.tumblr.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22370.Jill_Shalvis?from_search=true



Excerpt

At the unexpected sight of Spence, Colbie startled hard. How was it that he was the one who needed glasses and yet she’d not seen him standing against the window? “No, I don’t kill a lot of people,” she said cautiously because she was wearing only a towel in front of a strange man. “But I’m happy to make an exception.”

He laughed, a rough rumble that was more than a little contagious but she controlled herself because, hello, she was once again dripping wet before the man who seemed to make her knees forget to hold her up.

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said and pushed off the wall to come close.

She froze, but he held up his hands like, I come in peace, and crouched at her feet to scoop up the clothes she hadn’t realized she’d dropped.

Leggings, a long forgiving tee, and the peach silk bra-and-panty set that hadn’t gotten so much as a blink from the TSA guy.

But it got one out of Spence. He also swallowed hard as she snatched them back from him.

“Hold on,” he said and caught her arm, pulling it toward him to look at her bleeding elbow.

“Sit,” he said and gently pushed her down to a weight bench. He vanished into the bathroom and came back out with a first aid kit.

It took him less than two minutes to clean and bandage the scrape. Then, easily balanced at her side on the balls of his feet, he did the same for both her knees, which she hadn’t noticed were also scraped up.

“You must’ve hit the brick coping as you fell in the fountain,” he said and let his thumb slide over the skin just above one bandaged knee.

She shivered, and not from the cold either. “Not going to kiss it better?” she heard herself ask before biting her tongue for running away with her good sense.

She’d raised her younger twin brothers. Scrappy, roughhouse wild animals, the both of them, so there’d been plenty of injuries she’d kissed over the years.

But no one had ever kissed hers. Not surprising, since most of her injuries tended to be on the inside, where they didn’t show. Still, she was horrified she’d said anything at all. “I didn’t mean—”

She broke off, frozen like a deer in the headlights as Spence slowly lowered his head, brushing his lips over the Band-Aid on her elbow, then her knees. When he lifted his head, he pushed his glasses higher on his nose, those whiskey eyes warm and amused behind his lenses. “Better?”

Shockingly better. Since she didn’t quite trust her voice at the moment, she gave a jerky nod and took her clothes back into the bathroom. She shut the door and then leaned against it, letting out a slow, deliberate breath. Holy cow, she was out of her league. He was somehow both cute and hot, and those glasses . . .


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After reading this, I can safely say that hot, geeky, glasses-wearing heroes are my jam and will forever be my jam. I don’t know what it is about the geeky cute guy or, in Spencer Baldwin’s case the sexy nerdy guy, but they just make me both squeal and swoon. If you haven’t guessed it yet, I very much enjoyed Chasing Christmas Eve and it is mainly to do with the fact that Spencer Baldwin is my new favorite hero.

Colbie Albright’s first time in San Francisco after running away for a well-deserved vacation from her life did not start off like she thought it would. I don’t think getting knocked into a fountain by a dog was on her list of things to do while visiting but it did have its benefits seeing as the man who helped her out of the fountain is Spencer Baldwin, the resident sexy tech geek. Her three-week vacation starts looking up as she and Spencer go from just strangers to oh so much more.

I have already made it abundantly clear how much I loved Spencer in this book, but overall, I thought this book was ADORABLE. It was so great to step back into the world of Heartbreaker Bay after falling head over heels for it in Elle and Asher’s book, Accidentally on Purpose. While I did swoon over Spencer, I also enjoyed Colbie, especially with the fact that she was a best-selling YA fantasy author because it is not a profession I have come across for a heroine to have and I was beyond excited about it. Even though I wasn’t able to connect with Colbie as a character as much as I thought I would, I loved when she held her ground against Jackson and spoke her mind about what she needed to her family. Oh, and her alternative swear words were just so freaking cute. It was a quirky element to the book that I enjoyed and also brought an air of realness to Spencer and Colbie’s relationship.

Chasing Christmas Eve is adorably cute but also has its sexy moments hence the reason why I love Spencer Baldwin so much. The only part that didn’t vibe with me was the epilogue but only because it felt rushed. Ending aside, this book was a wonderful addition to the series and I can’t wait to read more!

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